Whatever you do, don’t ask Nick Saban about questionable officiating in the conference.  He took the time today to praise those hard working, honest hearted men who work the games. 

“I mean, can somebody stand up and fight for these guys and what they do for the game?” Saban said.

Given how little officials make for the amount of criticism they’ve been receiving, Saban said there’s no way he’d put himself through that torture.

I seriously thought I was reading The Onion at first. 

It’s your move, Urban.

Like the national polls, the top 3 teams have not changed here at the Select 17.  The order may jumble on occassion, but the same three teams remain.  For all the posturing and arguments you have heard and will hear, your national champion will likely come from these three teams.  And one of them probably is the best team.

I’ll say this, though.  I think TCU has a legitimate case to be considered.  I rank them slightly ahead of Cincinnati and Boise St. (in that order).  Should a team from the “Big 3″ falter, I would definitely support TCU in the title game — even ahead of a one-loss SEC Champ.  Generally I would say a one-loss SEC team is better than a Mountain West team.  I think TCU is the exception, though, to that rule.

Others receiving votes:  Oregon 11, Penn St. 6, Wisconsin 2

And to the voters that ranked USC ahead of Oregon (WTF?), I refer you to this:  Oregon 47, USC 20 (in a game played 9 days ago).

I was watching this one with friends, and we all just knew the officials would rule LSU’s Patrick Peterson had intercepted a pass on the sideline.  The large divot where his foot hit in the field of play kind of gave it away.  At least that was our assessment.

Of course the replay official disagreed, Bama kept the ball and put away the Tigers.

And now the SEC refuses to issues any type of statement about the play and the call.

Perhaps the thought of moving over to the Big XII should be explored.  The SEC continues to show its disregard for the Hogs, setting a FOURTH Razorbacks game for a pre-noon kickoff.  That’s right!  It’s Arkansas v. Mississippi St. at 11:21 AM next weekend.  To add insult to injury, it’s only going to be a split broadcast so Bama can play Tennessee-Chattanooga at the same time.

 The prime time games for Nov. 21, you ask?  Kentucky v. Georgia and Vanderbilt v. Tennessee

Get the coffee ready, folks.  You’re gonna need it…again.

ESPN’s Chris Low bumped Arkansas up to #8 in his weekly SEC Power Rankings.  He hedges a little, saying that these guys could get on a big roll.  I think Tennessee is a hard sell at #4 right now, but what can you expect from a Knoxville resident?

8. Arkansas: The Hogs (5-4, 2-4) can become bowl eligible this week with a win over Troy. They’ve been a different team at home this season, and quarterback Ryan Mallett has been especially good when the Hogs are wearing their home jerseys. He carved apart South Carolina last week in a 33-16 win. Something says he’s not done carving and that the Hogs aren’t done winning.

The stud Arkansas quarterback was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week today.  Mallett was on fire against South Carolina, leading the Razorbacks to a key conference win. 

Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas: Completed 23 of 27 passes for 329 yards with no interceptions and also had a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the 33-16 win over South Carolina. His completion percentage of .852 set a school record (min. 20 attempts) and is tied for the fifth highest single-game performance in SEC history.

The Hogs looked very good in the second half after sleepwalking through the first half.  Mallett’s pass to D.J. Williams setting up a field goal just before halftime could probably be described as the most important play of the game.

The recalcitrant running back is finally done in Kansas City.  Johnson has been at odds with his employer on several different occassions, most recently after he lambasted his coach via Twitter.  That led to enormous backlash amongst fans and his eventual dismissal from the team.

Johnson on Sunday finished serving a two-week suspension, which covered one game and the team’s bye week, for making gay slurs. He was 75 yards from breaking Priest Holmes’ franchise record (6,070) for career rushing yards.

Good riddance